WaydeG
Active member
I had the opportunity to ride today for about an hour and fifteen minutes on a variety of surfaces. Divided highway, back roads and rural blacktop. Here's my initial impression.
I have a few tweaks to make like adjusting the handle bars, brake and clutch levers, rear suspension and a more butt friendly seat. Given the newness and my expectations, I was more than pleased, I was thrilled. On the initial ride home, (last Tuesday in a 25+mph cross wind) I kept it in Roll mode just to be safe. Today was spent entirely in Rock mode and I felt an obvious difference in pull. The torque on this beast is not over-stated. It put a smile on my face. The wind wasn't as big of an issue from the OEM screen as I felt others may have experienced. My point of reference was my Road Glide with a MadStad two piece touring windshield. No real helmet turbulence/wobble at 65-70mph. I much prefer the handling of the BMW compared to the Road Glide, especially in the sweeping back road turns. I was surprised at just how easy it glided through the curves at 55-65mph. A quick push down on the inside handle bar dipped it into the curve and then it deftly popped its head up coming out and away we went looking forward to the next zig or zag. Despite every YouTuber commenting on just how heavy the R18 is, the weight is well distributed and handling was better than comparative bikes I test drove. I would venture to say that half the critics have never ridden the R18 or just don't know what really constitutes a heavy motorcycle.
Here's where I really noticed and appreciated the difference. The Road Glide kinda floated down the road much like (I only imagine) a big heavy limo or Mercedes sedan. The Road Glide's frame mounted fairing was like a rocket ship, unwavering in almost any wind be it mother nature or an over ambitious 18 wheeler flying by. You don't feel the bumps but you also don't get a feel for the road. And that's what had me grinning inside my Scorpion helmet listening to U2's Joshua Tree. The BMW let me feel the road and not in a bad way. I felt connected much like the old Z1 900 from my youth, just much more comfortable and refined. The riding position was comfortable and was more reminiscent of a Bonneville or an older Honda CB1100. The adjustment to the handlebars and maybe a 1" riser will put me in an even more upright position which for me will give me more miles on a less aching back vs forward controls.
Now the seat. While adequate, for 1-2 hour jaunts it will not allow me to make a road trip from my beloved Ft Worth, Texas to say Austin or a trek to OKC. I'm leaning toward the fastback or the Weekender for extended comfort. A simple rear rack will allow me to add a few extras for overnights as the factory bags are somewhat limiting on storage. I found the controls to be easy to roll through once you knew what you're looking for and the trip odometer is handy when there's no gas gauge (really? on a MSRP $24k motorcycle?). I used the cruise control for only short stints to take a break as I'm still in the break in mode. Worked like champ and I'm more than glad I went with the Classic vs the Pure if for no other reason. The 16" tire made the handling and ride better than advertised.
At some point, many touring bikes have become sterile. Too automatic with little feel for the road, too many creature comforts, riders aghast at any type of wind and electronics that border on pre-Alexa technology. With the R18 Classic, I almost felt as if I was riding a vintage bike. Almost. The position, the feel, the looks. Once again I find myself wiping her down (haven't named her yet) after the ride, pouring a few fingers of EH Taylor and sitting on my garage stool grinning like a 21 year old who just parked his Z1 in the garage.
I have a few tweaks to make like adjusting the handle bars, brake and clutch levers, rear suspension and a more butt friendly seat. Given the newness and my expectations, I was more than pleased, I was thrilled. On the initial ride home, (last Tuesday in a 25+mph cross wind) I kept it in Roll mode just to be safe. Today was spent entirely in Rock mode and I felt an obvious difference in pull. The torque on this beast is not over-stated. It put a smile on my face. The wind wasn't as big of an issue from the OEM screen as I felt others may have experienced. My point of reference was my Road Glide with a MadStad two piece touring windshield. No real helmet turbulence/wobble at 65-70mph. I much prefer the handling of the BMW compared to the Road Glide, especially in the sweeping back road turns. I was surprised at just how easy it glided through the curves at 55-65mph. A quick push down on the inside handle bar dipped it into the curve and then it deftly popped its head up coming out and away we went looking forward to the next zig or zag. Despite every YouTuber commenting on just how heavy the R18 is, the weight is well distributed and handling was better than comparative bikes I test drove. I would venture to say that half the critics have never ridden the R18 or just don't know what really constitutes a heavy motorcycle.
Here's where I really noticed and appreciated the difference. The Road Glide kinda floated down the road much like (I only imagine) a big heavy limo or Mercedes sedan. The Road Glide's frame mounted fairing was like a rocket ship, unwavering in almost any wind be it mother nature or an over ambitious 18 wheeler flying by. You don't feel the bumps but you also don't get a feel for the road. And that's what had me grinning inside my Scorpion helmet listening to U2's Joshua Tree. The BMW let me feel the road and not in a bad way. I felt connected much like the old Z1 900 from my youth, just much more comfortable and refined. The riding position was comfortable and was more reminiscent of a Bonneville or an older Honda CB1100. The adjustment to the handlebars and maybe a 1" riser will put me in an even more upright position which for me will give me more miles on a less aching back vs forward controls.
Now the seat. While adequate, for 1-2 hour jaunts it will not allow me to make a road trip from my beloved Ft Worth, Texas to say Austin or a trek to OKC. I'm leaning toward the fastback or the Weekender for extended comfort. A simple rear rack will allow me to add a few extras for overnights as the factory bags are somewhat limiting on storage. I found the controls to be easy to roll through once you knew what you're looking for and the trip odometer is handy when there's no gas gauge (really? on a MSRP $24k motorcycle?). I used the cruise control for only short stints to take a break as I'm still in the break in mode. Worked like champ and I'm more than glad I went with the Classic vs the Pure if for no other reason. The 16" tire made the handling and ride better than advertised.
At some point, many touring bikes have become sterile. Too automatic with little feel for the road, too many creature comforts, riders aghast at any type of wind and electronics that border on pre-Alexa technology. With the R18 Classic, I almost felt as if I was riding a vintage bike. Almost. The position, the feel, the looks. Once again I find myself wiping her down (haven't named her yet) after the ride, pouring a few fingers of EH Taylor and sitting on my garage stool grinning like a 21 year old who just parked his Z1 in the garage.
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